01.29-02.05.14
Cold Cleveland
There’s something beautiful about this place in the winter. Amid the vortex, the shut-downs & the sketchy travel, some of us are keeping our eyes open to the poetry in the frost.Fresh thinking is coming our way via SPACES’ new director Christina Vassallo; her first local interview is below. We’re looking at Duck Island through fresh eyes. And Hank Willis Thomas challenges even our most cherished East/West, Black/White dichotomies. Using Cool Cleveland on your mobile might take the chill off.
Durstin wonders out loud if the Cavs are Chris Grant are beyond repair, even as Alex examines the Luol Deng trade, while Mansfield recalls a cold, violent episode in the city. Stay warm this week with Eurydice at BW, dig the wearable tech at MOCA, kick the Bass Drum of Death at Mahall’s, grapple with Lez Zeppelin at Musica, go sled-biking at Ohio City Bike Co-op, and tune in to odd electronic music at Now That’s Class. You can call it cool Cleveland if you want. To us, it feels downright cold. –Thomas Mulready
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It seems fitting that SPACES’ first two exhibitions of 2014 examine space and memory.
With recent announcements of a new director & search for a larger venue to grow into over the next decade or so, the 35-year old staple of Cleveland’s art community is poised to begin an exciting new chapter…
More from Josh Usmani here
We’ve got this online advertising thing down cold. Putting together your budget? Consider CoolCleveland Sponsored Links, Sponsored Features and Sponsored Videos. Info@CoolCleveland.com
SPONSORED: Be the Dinosaur What was it like to be a dinosaur? An innovative exhibit at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History lets you create your own virtual dinosaur. Be the Dinosaur: Life in the Cretaceous combines sophisticated computer simulation with fossil reconstructions to provide a glimpse into the prehistoric past. Opens Sat 2/1 CMNH.org
High school music teacher Arline Kadel sang in the very first Bach Festival in 1932, and she has kept her alma mater Baldwin Wallace University in her thoughts ever since. Thanks to her gift, the BW Conservatory of Music will become one of the small number of conservatories with 100% Steinway pianos. This week, Cool Cleveland was on hand as they rolled in the first dozen Steinways.
Listen to Baldwin Wallace Conservatory director Susan Van Vorst talks with Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready while dozens of student applaud the arrival of the first dozen new Steinways.
Duck Island, the neighborhood sandwiched between Ohio City & Tremont, is getting noticed.
“Due to its fantastic near-west location, Duck Island has gotten a lot of development interest in the past few years,” says Kristen Zeiber, an urban designer with the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC).
“Existing residents, though, are nervous about what that might mean for them…”
SPONSORED: See, Hear and Feel the Power of Motown Tri-C Presents brings Detroit’s premier dance company, Eisenhower Dance, to Cleveland for a high-energy night of superior dance set to tunes from Motown and more. 8PM Sat 2/1 at Tr-C Eastern Campus Performing Arts Center, 4250 Richmond Rd, Highland Hills. Buy tickets now: TriCTickets.com
Sports teams trading African Americans like commodities, moved from the cotton field to the football field.
Advertisers putting the black body on display, dehumanized like a lynching.
Media shaping our perceptions and racial views.
Hank Willis Thomas examines these concepts in the current show on display simultaneously at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Transformer Station through Sun 3/9…
More from Hollie Gibbs here
SPONSORED: Today, there aren’t many artists who can be called “pioneers” in the classical music genre. Meredith Monk, known for her “extended vocal technique” and “interdisciplinary performance,” can be! Experience the composer, singer, and choreographer dubbed “one of Americas coolest composers” at CIM, 2/21/14. For tickets, call 216.795.3211 or visit CIM.edu
Contemporary Youth Orchestra becomes first youth orchestra in the world to use Google Glass, debuting at their Mon 6/2 show w/ Ben Folds.
Click here for more News and Biz
SPONSORED: Free Tax Prep! Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland offers free tax preparation to residents throughout northeast Ohio as part of the Cuyahoga EITC. NHSGC has earned tax payers over $1 million in refunds and helped save clients over $150,000 in filing fees. IRS Certified volunteers. Quick refunds. Weekday and weekend appointments are available now by dialing 2-1-1. NHScleveland.org
Clevelander Doug Wood has built himself a busy career as a solo acoustic guitarist. But he’s continued to collaborate with other musicians, most notably his former Watts Gnu bandmate, bassist Darren Frate, and Seafair/Akron Symphony cellist Tara Hanish. Now, as the Doug Wood Trio, they’re releasing Cellocentric, marking the occasion with a show at Brothers Lounge. Fri 1/31.
Read more picks by Anastasia Pantsios here
As manager of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Shafran Planetarium, Jason Davis has one of the coolest jobs in Cleveland.
Cool Cleveland stopped in while Jason was working on a collaborative project with Cleveland Institute of Music and Cleveland Institute of Art students: 360 Degrees of Sight + Sound: The Planetarium Project, presented Tue 2/25. http://www.CMNH.org
What Are Your Plans?
#CoolCleveland Follow us on Twitter or Instagram @CoolCleveland and keep us in the loop. Use #CoolCleveland and promote some of your favorite events. Every week we pick a winning tweet to publicize and it could be yours.
Let us hear it! Include photos, links and everything in between. We pick the winners on Friday, so start tweeting!
See your own shadow (or not) & meet Cle’s own Lake Erie Eddie at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Groundhog Fun Day event Sat 2/1.
Click here for more Cool Cleveland Kids events
WED 1/29
Musician/activist JD Samson grew up in Pepper Pike, came out as a lesbian while still attending Orange High School, joined punk bands & became an outspoken LGBT & feminist activist. Hear her in her latest band, MEN, @ the Beachland.
Click here for more events on Wed 1/29
THU 1/30
The Aliens @ Dobama Theatre is an award-winning play about two aimless thirty-somethings hanging out behind a coffee shop discussing everything from women to Bukowski. Can you relate?
Click here for more events on Thu 1/30
FRI 1/31
Dancing Wheels brings Art in Motion to MOCA. Arrive early & watch as dancers perform shorter, more intimate works throughout the museum & its galleries.
Click here for more events on Fri 1/31
SAT 2/1
Dentist/sax player Phillip “Doc” Martin plays it smooth @ Nighttown. He’ll glide into town w/ his alto sax & a catalogue of four albums to draw upon. Too lively to be a Novocaine substitute, but relaxing nonetheless.
Click here for more events on Sat 2/1
SUN 2/2
Go riding & skiing @ Ohio City Bicycle Co-op’s annual Marmot Meander outing. Yeah, you can bring your own sled to use on the Clark Field hill or rent the co-op’s new ski-bike.
Click here for more events on Sun 2/2
MON 2/3
Big Sandy will rock the house. The So Cal group is primarily known for its live shows, in which it can pull out the stops on its high-energy blend of rockabilly, western swing, classic soul, honkytonk country & good old rock and roll.
Click here for more events on Mon 2/3
TUE 2/4
Akron’s Tuesday Musical series presents accomplished pianist Jeremy Denk (who also has a wicked sense of humor) @ EJ Thomas Hall. He’ll be playing Mozart, Schumann & Ligeti.
Click here for more events on Tue 2/4
WED 2/5
Trinity Brownbag Concerts open their spring season w/ a return visit from classically trained saxophone players Jake Swanson & Sarah Marchitelli. Bring your lunch or buy one for $5.
Click here for more events on Wed 2/5
Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com
An interesting question was recently raised in regards to the “blueprint” that Civil Rights leaders didn’t leave for the current generation of African American men.
The conversation quickly spread and immediately sparked issues of leadership, mentorship and other issues in the African American community.
In an attempt to promote & progress this important dialogue, local leaders have organized a series of Blueprint Roundtables… [Pictured: Your Skin Has the Power to Protect You (detail), Hank Willis Thomas.]
More from Josh Umani here
These are the times that try Cleveland fans’ souls.
The Browns are once again lost in the Ozone; the Indians’ spectacular season last year has done nothing but increase anxiety regarding a collapse this year; and the Cavaliers are less than 40 games away from sinking into oblivion in the eyes of lots and lots of fans…
More from Larry Durstin here
The title of this piece is admittedly a bad pun, considering the fact a five-year-old child and an upstanding, righteous man on his way to work were among those recently killed in Cleveland as the New Year begins.
But the sad fact is… we had better brace ourselves for more news articles regarding senseless killings as the year progresses….
Read this story and others from Mansfield Frazier here
It’s where events meet neighborhoods. Get on Cool Cleveland Mobile and check out the new event banners inside of The Neighborhoods Tab. Learn what they’re all about here.
Get Mobile here and experience what it’s like to have the entire city of Cleveland at your fingertips. Find events, check out the Cool Neighborhoods and keep up-to-date with everything happening in the Cool Cleveland community.
On January 7, just four days after my Polar Vortex drive from Cleveland to Chicago, I read that Luol Deng was traded from the Bulls to the Cavs.
I asked my friends in both towns I once called home to chime in and here’s what they had to say…
More from Alex Sukhoy here
Quick previews & reviews of recent events
Submit your own preview, review or commentary to Events@CoolCleveland.com
REVIEW: Thought-provoking THE ALIENS @ Dobama Theatre by Roy Berko
Comment on our blog here: http://www.CoolCleveland.com/blog
10 Things I Learned About Clevelanders
Very nice attribute to Cleveland! I have been here my entire 48 years and no matter where I travel I am always happy to return…Thank you for taking the time to recognize this beautiful city!…
Paula Price Sedar
KUDOS TO OUR GREAT METROPOLIS!!!…
Francesca Russo Goodman
We desparately need local alternative radio again…
John Ellis
I would say that Cleveland’s music scene isn’t imploding, but is rather transforming. There are a lot of things going on at once here. For one thing there are a ton of people who live and breathe country music. I don’t quite understand why that is, but i’ve seen a trend in that direction….
Jon Christian Dagata
Only ten Jews west of the river is a myth. You have to know where to look. Westsiders are integrated, blending in to the westside culture without being a closed group…
Greg Bauchmoyer
All the reasons I’ve been trying to get back since I moved to Texas in ’99. Great read!…
Aaron Dick
Cleveland is missing exceptional pizza and even passable BBQ, so the culinary scene here does have that going against it. Excellent write-up though….
Ryan Searles
We have excellent BBQ in Cleveland. You just might have to leave your comfort zone to get it….
Amanda
Nice article, Alex. I wonder if you really got into the heart of Cleveland’s music scene? While not every musician in town is trying to hit Nashville or follow in the footsteps of the Black Keys, there is a lot of quality original music being played in this city every night…
Ann
The Battle Has Begun to Tax Some $320 Million in Regressive Taxes
Sin tax is the ultimate irony. We hear that it’s not really a tax :”Folks choose to smoke or drink” goes the line. Sure it’s a tough economy and bigger scoreboards would be nice. But c’mon, what are you really asking here? …
Steve Whiting
Great column Roldo, we know that Joe Roman and his gang of toadies will be hustling hard to pass this stinker, and save their six figure salaries….
Mark Deb
The Men Behind The Curtain are understandably leery about the Democratic process because it cannot be controlled. I suspect their early research suggests that this issue is going to be a steep uphill climb…
John J. Polk
Read and comment here: http://www.coolcleveland.com/blog
Most clicked
Here are the Top 5 most clicked links from last week’s issue, with one more chance for you to click.
1) 10 Things I Learned About Clevelanders
2) City of Cleveland plans to add 70 miles of bikeway by 2017
3) MANSFIELD: A Matter of Political Will
4) ROLDO: The Battle Has Begun to Tax Some $320 Million in Regressive Taxes
5) New University Circle Documentary Examines History & Future of Cleveland WVIZ
A warm thank you to our writers: Roy Berko, Marty Bielat, Larry Durstin, Hollie Gibbs, Mansfield Frazier, Anastasia Pantsios, Alex Sukhoy, Josh Usmani & Sarah Valek. And lastly, though certainly not least, thanks to our readers and everyone who partners with us. Want to volunteer and contribute your writing to Cool Cleveland? Send your reviews, articles, or story ideas to: Events@CoolCleveland.com.
Chill,
–Thomas Mulready
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